Etymology of the French word captif
the Old French word
captifderived from the Late Latin word
captivus (caught, taken captive; captured; prisoner of war, captive)
derived from the Latin word
captus (capacity, ability, potentiality; captured, captive)
derived from the Late Latin word
capere (to take; take hold, seize; grasp)
derived from the Proto-Indo-European root
*kap-Date
The earliest known usage of captif in French dates from the 15th century.
Derivations in other languages
English
captive, Romanian
captivUsage
Word found in Old French
